Europe Audiobooks | Travel

Towton and Bosworth: The History of the Wars of the Roses’ Most Important Battles

Today, roses are a sign of love and luxury, but for over 30 years, they provided the symbols for two houses at war for control of the English throne. Thousands of people died and many more were injured fighting beneath the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster, and the noble families ruling England tore each other apart in a struggle that was as bitter as it was bloody. Though what followed was a period of strong rule under the Tudors monarchs, it ultimately came at a terrible cost, and even then, it was through Elizabeth of York that the Tudor line received its legitimacy. After all, while Henry VII won his throne in battle, Elizabeth of York was the daughter of King Edward IV of England, a Yorkist monarch. Despite their limited social and economic impact, the political and personal dramas of the Wars of the Roses have ensured that they are well remembered and still part of the popular imagination. The most famous depictions of the period came from Shakespeare, whose earliest plays included Richard III and the three parts of Henry VI. Naturally, Shakespeare dramatized the tensions of what he presented as hugely destructive events, and his account, which showed the damage done by corruption and weak rule, and which turned Richard III into a popular villain, aimed to please the Tudor dynasty still in power at the time. Of course, it also played to a popular interest in high drama and the sort of personal and political conflicts that lay at the heart of the war. Indeed, the Wars of the Roses were perfect material for a drama about greed, power and ambition, and many others followed Shakespeare's example. From Henry Payne's painting of a Shakespearean scene in which the two sides of the war are picked to John Everett Millais's mournful portrait of the Princes in the Tower, these pictures often evoke the tension and sorrow of the period, bringing it dramatically to life.

Charles River Editors (Author), Victoria Woodson (Narrator)

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The Steppe Nomads: The History of the Different Nomadic Groups and Their Raids into Europe

Though history is usually written by the victors, the lack of a particularly strong writing tradition from the Mongols ensured that history was largely written by those who they vanquished. Because of this, their portrayal in the West and the Middle East has been extraordinarily (and in many ways unfairly) negative for centuries, at least until recent revisions to the historical record. The Mongols have long been depicted as wild horse-archers galloping out of the dawn to rape, pillage, murder and enslave, but the Mongol army was a highly sophisticated, minutely organized and incredibly adaptive and innovative institution, as witnessed by the fact that it was successful in conquering enemies who employed completely different weaponry and different styles of fighting, from Chinese armored infantry to Middle Eastern camel cavalry and Western knights and men-at-arms. Geographically the Tatars descend from several parts of Asia, particularly Central Asia, but the Crimean region has been the nexus of several great power rivalries and numerous conflicts. Yet the Crimean Tatars endured through many of these, aligning themselves with a number of larger powers and developing a reputation as fearsome warriors. Today the Tatars are mainly linked with and live in the Volga region of the Russian Federation. Indeed, Tatarstan is a republic in modern Russia. The “Volga Tatars” are perhaps the best known of the peoples known as Tatars and today number about 5 million people. Before the Mongols rode across the steppes of Asia and Eastern Europe, the Cumans were a major military and cultural force that monarchs from China to Hungary and from Russia to the Byzantine Empire faced, often losing armies and cities in the process. The Cumans were a tribe of Turkic nomads who rode the steppes looking for plunder and riches, but they rarely stayed long after they got what they wanted.

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Caufield (Narrator)

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Grunwald and Orsha: The History and Legacy of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Most Decisive Bat

Like other secretive groups, the mystery surrounding the Teutonic Knights has helped their legacy endure. While some conspiracy theorists attempt to tie the group to other alleged secret societies like the Illuminati, other groups have tried to assert connections with the Teutonic Knights to bolster their own credentials. Who they were and what they had in their possession continue to be a source of great intrigue even among non-historical circles. While the military orders are now often tied to religion or conspiracy theories, they did once wield great power and influence in Europe, and their actions had consequences centuries after they had reached their peak. This was made clear in the wake of a major battle fought between German and Russian forces from August 26-30, 1914 during the First World War. It occurred in Masuria, a region of marshes, woodland, and numerous lakes in northern Poland, almost 400,000 men were involved, and it was a decisive victory for the Germans, who annihilated the Russian army. The Germans named the battle after Tannenberg (Polish Stebark), and the battle, though widely fought over 100 miles, did indeed encompass the village, but there was a historical reason for assigning the name to the battle. On July 15, 1410, Tannenberg was the site of another decisive battle between the army of the Germanic Teutonic Order and that of Poland-Lithuania, a battle now commonly referred to as the Battle of Grunwald (after another nearby village). In 1514, Orsha was a much smaller town, home to a population of no more than 5,000 as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but on September 8 of that year, the normally quiet and unpretentious town was thrust into the world’s gaze when over 100,000 troops engaged in one of the 16th century’s biggest battles outside the town walls. The battle pitted the forces of the King of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania against the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

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Gaslight Days: Book 2 - The Road Ahead

A chance to delve into the minds of children and adults among the ruined streets of post-war London. The streets were our playground with not a car in sight, where we played all day. On Sundays, bugle boy bands marched past us and in the evening the military band raised our spirits. Life was never dull. Our parents took us to the zoo and for boat rides on the Serpentine.

Edward Forde Hickey (Author), Tom Fria (Narrator)

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Spanish Royal Family: Thrones, Monarchs, Empires, And Modernity Of Spain

A.J.Kingston (Author), Digital Voice Madison G (Narrator)

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Made In France: French Architectural Masterpieces: Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Palace Of Ver

A.J.Kingston (Author), Digital Voice Madison G (Narrator)

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The Great Patriotic War: The History of the Fighting Between the Soviets and Germans during World Wa

In the warm predawn darkness of June 22, 1941, 3 million men waited along a front hundreds of miles long, stretching from the Baltic coast of Poland to the Balkans. Ahead of them in the darkness lay the Soviet Union, its border guarded by millions of Red Army troops echeloned deep throughout the huge spaces of Russia. This massive gathering of Wehrmacht soldiers from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich and his allied states – notably Hungary and Romania – stood poised to carry out Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's surprise attack against the country of his putative ally, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Though Germany was technically Russia’s ally, Stalin had no delusions that they were friends. Instead, he used this time to build up his forces for what he saw as an inevitable invasion. First, on the heels of the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Stalin had his troops invade and reclaim the land Russia had lost in World War I. Next he turned his attention to Finland, which was only 100 miles from the newly named Leningrad. He initially tried to negotiate with the Finnish government for some sort of treaty of mutual support. When this failed he simply invaded. While the giant Russian army ultimately won, the fact that little Finland held them off for three months demonstrated how poorly organized the bigger force was. What Stalin did not realize was that Hitler had simply overstretched himself in Yugoslavia and only planned to delay the invasion by a few weeks. The Soviets were so caught by surprise at the start of the attack that the Germans were able to push several hundred miles into Russia across a front that stretched dozens of miles long, reaching the major cities of Leningrad and Sevastopol in just three months.

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Caufield (Narrator)

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Machiavelli on War

Machiavelli on War offers a comprehensive interpretation of the philosopher-historian's treatment of war throughout his writings, from poems and memoranda drafted while he was Florence's top official to his posthumous works, The Prince and Discourses on Livy. Christopher Lynch argues that the issue of war permeates the form and content of each of Machiavelli works, the substance of his thoughts, and his own activity as a writer, concluding that he was the first great modern philosopher because he was the first modern philosopher of war. Lynch details Machiavelli's understanding of warfare in terms of both actual armed conflict and at the intellectual level of thinkers competing on the field of knowledge and belief. Throughout Machiavelli's works, he focuses on how military commanders' knowledge of human necessities enables and requires them to mold soldiers to best deploy them in operations attuned to political context and changing circumstances. As Machiavelli on War makes clear, prevailing both on the battlefield and in the war of ideas demands a single-minded engagement in 'reasoning about everything,' beginning with oneself. For Machiavelli, Lynch shows, the successful military commander is not just an excellent leader but also an excellent human being in constant pursuit of the truth about themselves and the world.

Christopher Lynch (Author), David Colacci (Narrator)

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Endless Flight: The Life of Joseph Roth

The mercurial, self-mythologizing novelist and journalist Joseph Roth, author of the twentieth-century masterpiece The Radetzky March, was the finest observer and chronicler of his age. Endless Flight travels with Roth from his childhood in the town of Brody on the eastern edge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to an unsettled life spent roaming Europe between the wars, including spells in Vienna, Paris, and Berlin. His decline mirrored the collapse of civilized Europe: in his last peripatetic decade, he opposed Nazism in exile from Germany, his wife succumbed to schizophrenia, and he died an alcoholic on the eve of WWII. Exploring the role of Roth's absent father in his imaginings, his attitude to his Jewishness, and his restless search for home, Keiron Pim's gripping account of Roth's chaotic life speaks powerfully to us in our era of uncertainty, refugee crises, and rising ethno-nationalism. Published as Roth's works rapidly gain new listeners and recognition, Endless Flight delivers a visceral yet sensitive portrait of his quest for belonging, and a riveting understanding of the brilliance and beauty of his work.

Keiron Pim (Author), Peter Noble (Narrator)

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An Alternative History of Britain: The War of the Roses

Timothy Venning's exploration of the alternative paths that British history might easily have taken moves on to the Wars of the Roses. What if Richard of York had not given battle in vain? How would a victory for Warwick the Kingmaker at the Battle of Barnet changed the course of the struggle for power? What if the Princes had escaped from the tower or the Stanleys had not betrayed their king at Bosworth? These are just a few of the fascinating questions posed by this book. As always, while necessarily speculative, Dr. Venning discusses all the scenarios within the benefit of a deep understanding of the major driving forces, tensions, and trends that shaped British history. In so doing, he helps the listener to understand why things panned out as they did, as well as what might have been in this tumultuous period.

Timothy Venning (Author), Liam Gerrard (Narrator)

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An Alternative History of Britain: The Hundred Years War

Continuing his exploration of the alternative paths that British history might so easily have taken, Timothy Venning turns his attention to the Hundred Years War between England and France. Could the English have won in the long term, or, conversely, have been decisively defeated sooner? Among the many scenarios discussed are what would have happened if the Black Prince had not died prematurely of the Black Death, leaving the ten-year-old Richard to inherit Edward IIIs crown. What would have been the consequences if France's Scottish allies had been victorious at Neville's Cross in 1346, while most English forces were occupied in France? What if Henry V had recovered from the dysentery that killed him at 35, giving time for his son Henry VI to inherit the combined crowns of France and England as a mature (and half-French) man rather than an infant controlled by others? And what if Joan of Arc had not emerged to galvanize French resistance at Orleans? While necessarily speculative, all the scenarios are discussed within the framework of a deep understanding of the major driving forces, tensions, and trends that shaped British history and help to shed light upon them.

Timothy Venning (Author), Liam Gerrard (Narrator)

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Life and Intrigue in Tudor Britain: A Collection of BBC Radio Historical Docu Dramas

Six gripping dramatised documentaries detailing the history of the turbulent Tudor period. Passion, power, sex and suspicious deaths – the Tudor story is one of drama and dysfunction, and it has kept us enthralled for over 400 years. In these six dramatised documentaries, we take a behind-the-scenes look at Tudor England and get to know the key characters we have grown to love and hate, such as Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Compiled from contemporary sources by Alison Plowman and featuring first-hand accounts and letters, these thrilling, historically accurate retellings bring this tumultuous era to vivid life. The Most Unhappy Lady spans three critical years in the life of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, and later Queen of England. It begins in 1533, when her father divorces her mother and marries Anne Boleyn. Refusing to accept the validity of Henry’s actions, Mary finds herself facing danger and disgrace… In Elizabeth's Admiral, we follow the events which took place in the immediate aftermath of Henry VIII’s death in 1547 – events which led to the execution of the Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour and came near to seriously compromising the future of the 15-year-old Princess Elizabeth. The Killing at Kirk O’Field, set between March 1566 and June 1567, tells the tragic tale of the murder of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary Queen of Scots: a crime that remains one of the most controversial 'whodunnits' of all time. Chance or Villainy? explores the mysterious death of Amy Robsart in 1560. Her husband, Lord Robert Dudley, was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and was rumoured to be having an affair with her – so when Amy was found dead at the foot of a staircase, it seemed that a serious crisis might ensue… In A Knot of Secret Might, we hear the ill-fated love story of Lady Katherine Grey, sister of the doomed ‘Nine-Day Queen’ Lady Jane Grey. And in The Great Enterprise, 1588, we are transported back to sixteenth-century Spain, as Philip II prepares to launch his ‘Invincible Armada’... Among the ensemble casts of these superb docu-dramas are Beryl Calder, Haydn Jones, Marjorie Westbury, Kathleen Helme, Patricia Leventon, Nerys Hughes and Roger Delgado. Credits Compiled from contemporary sources by Alison Plowden Special thanks to Keith Wickham for Archive material. The Most Unhappy Lady Produced by Joe Burroughs First broadcast BBC Home Service, 22 Dec 1964 Elizabeth’s Admiral (A Pattern of Tudors) Produced by Joe Burroughs First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 Apr 1968 The Killing at Kirk O’Field Produced by Alison Plowden First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 Sep 1969 Chance or Villainy? (A Pattern of Tudors) Produced by Joe Burroughs First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 Feb 1966 A Knot of Secret Might Produced by Richard Wortley First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 Oct 1970 The Great Enterprise, 1588 (A Pattern of Tudors) Produced by Joe Burroughs First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 Aug 1968 © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Alison Plowden (Author), Beryl Calder, Frank Duncan, Full Cast, Haydn Jones, Jane Wenham, Kathleen Helme, Madi Hedd, Marjorie Westbury, Nerys Hughes, Nigel Lambert, Patricia Leventon, Pauline Letts, Richard Hurndall, Roger Delgado, Stephen Thorne (Narrator)

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Europe Audiobooks in Travel